MP: Farmer rolls down muddy road to file complaint against officials at collector's office

Khandwa (MP), Aug 13 (PTI) A farmer on Tuesday rolled down the muddy road to reach the district collector's office at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, and lodged a complaint against local officials who were allegedly ignoring his plea about encroachment on his land.

A video of the unusual protest by Shyamlal, a resident of Sahjala village, went viral even as the collector ordered action on his complaint.

The farmer claimed that the patwari (village revenue official) was not heeding his plea to demarcate his land, and someone had encroached on it, said district collector Anup Kumar Singh.

A `jan-sunwai' (public hearing) is held at the collector's office every Tuesday.

He directed the sub divisional magistrate (SDM) of the area to carry out the demarcation within the next ten days, collector Singh said, adding that the issue came to his knowledge for the first time.

As to encroachment, the allegation will be verified after the demarcation, Singh added.

Shyamlal told reporters that he had all the title documents with him, but some powerful people usurped his land nonetheless, and the patwari was not heeding his complaint.

Senior Congress leader Arun Yadav said Shyamlal's case showed how farmers were suffering under the BJP rule.

"He was struggling for the last two years to get his land demarcated. His land has been illegally occupied by some strongmen in connivance with the patwari," Yadav said. PTI ADU KRK